Is Jesus Messiah?

Recently I had a person, who is Messianic, but reverting back to Orthodox Judaism ask "Did Jesus really fulfill the Messianic Prophecies?"

Is Jesus the Messiah that Israel is waiting for? Short answer "YES!" Now for the long answer.

I decided to go through the Messianic Prophecies for you; I didn't cover all 324 prophecies; but I did go from Genesis to Malachi and have given you  the fulfillment in the New Testament. Remember when we collectively look at the prophecies, and look at the New Testament, not only can we see what Messiah is to be like, but also that He has come, and we can take hope in His Second coming!

Genesis	Prophecy	Fulfillment
The Messiah would be born of the "seed" of a woman.	Genesis 3:15	Luke 1:34-35
The Messiah would defeat Satan.	above	1 John 3:8
The Messiah would suffer while reconciling men to God.	above	1 Peter 3:18
The Messiah would be a descendant of Shem.	Genesis 9:26	Luke 3:36
The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham.	Genesis 12:3	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac.	Genesis 17:19	Luke 3:34
The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham.	Genesis 18:17-18	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would come for all nations.	above	Acts 3:24-26
The Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac.	Genesis 21:12	Luke 3:34
Messiah to be sacrificed on the same mountain where God tested Abraham.	Genesis 22:14	Luke 23:33
The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham.	Genesis 22:18	Galations 3:16
The Messiah would come for all nations.	above	Galatians 3:14
The Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac.	Genesis 26:4	Luke 3:34
The Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob.	Genesis 28:14	above
The Messiah would come for all people.	above	Galatians 3:26-29
The Messiah would be a descendant of Judah.	Genesis 49:10	Luke 3:33
The Messiah would be a King	above	John 1:49
The Jew's capitol punishment authority would be gone when the Messiah arrived.	above	John 18:31
Numbers
The Messiah would be a King.	Numbers 24:17	John 19:19
Deuteronomy
The Messiah would be a Prophet.	Deuteronomy 18:15-19	John 6:14
The Messiah would speak with words of authority given to Him from God.	above	John 12:48-50
Those who refused to listen to the Messiah would be judged.	above	above
The Messiah would be worshiped by angels at his birth.	Deuteronomy 32:43	Luke 2:13-14
Ruth
The Messiah would be a descendant of Boaz & Ruth.	Ruth 4:12-17	Luke 3:32
1 Samuel
The Messiah would be exalted by God with power and strength.	1 Samuel 2:10	Matthew 28:18
2 Samuel
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	2 Samuel 7:12-13	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would be the Son of God.	above	Matthew 3:16-17
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	2 Samuel 7:16	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would come for all people.	2 Samuel 22:50	Romans 15:8-9
The Messiah would be the "Rock."	2 Samuel 23:2-4	1 Corinthians 10:4
The Messiah would be as the "light of the morning."	above	Revelation 22:16
1 Chronicles
The Messiah would be a descendant of Judah.	1 Chronicles 5:2	Luke 3:33
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	1 Chronicles 17:11-12	Luke 3:31
The Messiah's throne would be everlasting.	above	Luke 1:32-33
The Messiah would be the Son of God.	1 Chronicles 17:13-14	Matthew 3:16-17
Psalms
The Messiah would be rejected by Gentiles.	Psalm 2:1	Acts 4:25-28
Political and religious leaders would conspire against the Messiah.	Psalm 2:2	Matthew 26:3-4
The Messiah would be a King.	Psalm 2:6	John 12:12-13
The Messiah would be the Son of God.	Psalm 2:7	Luke 1:31-35
The Messiah would declare that he was the Son of God.	above	John 9:35-37
The Messiah would be resurrected and crowned as King.	above	Acts 13:30-33
The Messiah would ask God for His inheritance.	Psalm 2:8	John 17:4-24
The Messiah would receive authority over all.	above	Matthew 28:18
The Messiah would be the Son of God.	Psalm 2:12	Matthew 17:5
The Messiah would reject those who did not believe in him.	above	John 3:36
Infants would give praise to the Messiah.	Psalm 8:2	Matthew 21:15-16
The Messiah would be given authority over all things.	Psalm 8:6	Matthew 28:18
The Messiah would be resurrected.	Psalm 16:8-10	Matthew 28:6
The Messiah's body would not be subject to decay.	above	Acts 13:35-37
The Messiah would be exalted to the presence of God.	Psalm 16:11	Acts 2:33
The Messiah would come for all people.	Psalm 18:49	Ephesians 3:4-6
The Messiah would cry out to God.	Psalm 22:1	Matthew 27:46
The Messiah would be forsaken by God.	above	Mark 15:34
The Messiah, anguished, would pray without ceasing.	Psalm 22:2	Matthew 26:38-39
The Messiah would be despised.	Psalm 22:6	Luke 23:21-23
The Messiah would be mocked by people shaking their heads.	Psalm 22:7	Matthew 27:39
Mockers would say of the Messiah, "he trusted God, let him deliver him."	Psalm 22:8	Matthew 27:41-43
The Messiah would be aware of his Father from his youth.	Psalm 22:9	Luke 2:40
The Messiah would be called to God's service from the womb.	Psalm 22:10	Luke 1:30-33
The Messiah would be abandoned by the disciples.	Psalm 22:11	Mark 14:50
The Messiah would be surrounded by evil spirits.	Psalm 22:12-13	Colossians 2:15
The Messiah's heart would burst, flowing with blood & water.	Psalm 22:14	John 19:34
The Messiah would be crucified.	above	Matthew 27:35
The Messiah would thirst.	Psalm 22:15	John 19:28
The Messiah would thirst shortly before his death.	above	John 19:30
The Messiah would be surrounded by Gentiles at his crucifixion.	Psalm 22:16	Luke 23:36
The Messiah would be surrounded by Jews at his crucifixion.	above	Matthew 27:41-43
The Messiah's hands and feet would be pierced.	above	Matthew 27:38
None of the Messiah's bones would be broken.	Psalm 22:17	John 19:32-33
People would stare at the Messiah during his crucifixion.	above	Luke 23:35
The Messiah's garments would be divided.	Psalm 22:18	John 19:23-24
Lots would be cast for the Messiah's clothes.	above	above
The Messiah's atonement would enable believers to be his brethren.	Psalm 22:22	Hebrews 2:10-12
None of the Messiah's bones would be broken.	Psalm 34:20	John 19:32-33
The Messiah's offering of himself would replace all sacrifices.	Psalm 40:6-8	Hebrews 10:10-13
The Messiah would say the scriptures were written of him.	above	Luke 24:44
The Messiah would come to do God's will.	Psalm 40:7-8	John 5:30
The Messiah would not conceal his mission from the congregation.	Psalm 40:9-10	Luke 4:16-21
The Messiah's betrayer would be a friend whom he broke bread with.	Psalm 41:9	Mark 14:17-18
The Messiah would speak with a message of grace.	Psalm 45:2	Luke 4:22
The Messiah's throne would be everlasting.	Psalm 45:6-7	Luke 1:31-33
The Messiah would be God.	above	Hebrews 1:8-9
The Messiah would act with righteousness.	above	John 5:30
The Messiah would ascend into heaven.	Psalm 68:18	Luke 24:51
The Messiah would give gifts to men.	above	Matthew 10:1
The Messiah would be hated by many without cause.	Psalm 69:4	Luke 23:13-22
The Messiah would bear reproach, for God's sake.	Psalm 69:7	Matthew 26:65-67
The Messiah would be rejected by the Jews.	Psalm 69:8	John 1:11
The Messiah's brothers would disbelieve him.	above	John 7:3-5
The Messiah would be angered by disrespect toward the temple.	Psalm 69:9	John 2:13-17
The Messiah would bear reproach, for God's sake.	Psalm 69:9	Romans 15:3
The Messiah's disciples would fail him in his time of need.	above	Mark 14:33-41
The Messiah would be offered gall and vinegar.	Psalm 69:21	Matthew 27:34
The Messiah would thirst.	above	John 19:28
The potters field would be uninhabited.	Psalm 69:25	Acts 1:16-20
The Messiah would speak in parables.	Psalm 78:2	Matthew 13:34-35
The Messiah would be at the right hand of God.	Psalm 80:17	Acts 5:31
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Psalm 89:3-4	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would call God his Father.	Psalm 89:26	Matthew 11:27
The Messiah would be God's "firstborn."	Psalm 89:27	Mark 16:6
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Psalm 89:29	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Psalm 89:35-36	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would be eternal.	Psalm 102:25-27	Colossians 1:17
The Messiah would be the creator of all.	above	John 1:3
The Messiah would be accused by false witnesses.	Psalm 109:2	John 18:29-30
The Messiah would pray for his enemies.	Psalm 109:4	Luke 23:34
The Messiah's betrayer would have a short life.	Psalm 109:8	Acts 1:16-18
The Messiah's betrayer would be replaced.	above	Acts 1:20-26
The Messiah would be mocked by people shaking their heads.	Psalm 109:25	Mark 15:29-30
The Messiah would be Lord.	Psalm 110:1	Matthew 22:41-45
The Messiah would be at the right hand of God.	above	Mark 16:19
The Messiah would be a Priest in the order of Melchisedec.	Psalm 110:4	Hebrews 6:17-20
The Messiah would be at the right hand of God.	Psalm 110:5	1 Peter 3:21-22
The Messiah would be the "stone" rejected by the Jews.	Psalm 118:22	Matthew 21:42-43
The Messiah would come in the name of the Lord.	Psalm 118:26	Matthew 21:9
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Psalm 132:11	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Psalm 132:17	above
Proverbs
The Messiah would be from everlasting.	Proverbs 8:22-23	John 17:5
The Messiah would ascend and descend from heaven.	Proverbs 30:4	John 3:13
God would have a Son.	above	Matthew 3:16-17
Isaiah
The Jews would have a hardened heart against the Messiah.	Isaiah 6:9-10	John 12:37-40
The Messiah would speak in parables.	Isaiah 6:9-10	Matthew 13:13-15
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Isaiah 7:13-14	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would be born of a virgin.	Isaiah 7:14	Luke 1:34-35
The Messiah would be Immanuel, "God with us."	above	Matthew 1:21-23
The Messiah would be God.	above	John 12:45
The Messiah would be a "stumbling stone" for the Jews.	Isaiah 8:14	Matthew 21:43-44
The Messiah would minister in Galilee.	Isaiah 9:1-2	Matthew 4:12-17
The Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles.	above	Luke 2:28-32
The birth of the Messiah.	Isaiah 9:6	Luke 2:11
The Messiah would be the Son of God.	above	Luke 1:35
The Messiah would be the "Wonderful Counselor."	above	John 7:46
The Messiah would be both God and man (the "Mighty God").	above	John 10:30
The Messiah would be from everlasting (the "Everlasting Father").	above	Revelation 1:8
The Messiah would be the "Prince of Peace."	above	Colossians 1:20
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Isaiah 9:7	Matthew 1:1
The Messiah would be a descendant of Jesse.	Isaiah 11:1	Luke 3:23-32
The Messiah would grow up in a poor family.	above	Luke 2:7
The Messiah would have the full Spirit of God upon him.	Isaiah 11:2	Matthew 3:16-17
The Messiah would have the Spirit of Wisdom.	above	Luke 2:40
The Messiah would have the Spirit of Understanding.	above	above
The Messiah would have the Spirit of Counsel.	above	Matthew 7:28-29
The Messiah would have the Spirit of Might.	above	Matthew 8:27
The Messiah would have the Spirit of the Knowledge of God.	above	John 7:29
The Messiah would have the Spirit of the Fear of God.	above	Hebrews 5:7
The Messiah would have a quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.	Isaiah 11:3	Luke 2:46-47
The Messiah would not judge on the basis of external representations.	above	John 7:24
The Messiah would judge the poor with righteousness.	Isaiah 11:4	Mark 12:41-44
The Messiah would be a descendant of Jesse.	Isaiah 11:10	Luke 3:23-32
The Messiah would come for all people.	above	Acts 13:47-48
The Messiah would have the key of David.	Isaiah 22:22	Revelation 3:7
The Messiah would defeat death.	Isaiah 25:8	Revelation 1:18
Others would rise to life at the resurrection of the Messiah.	Isaiah 26:19	Matthew 27:52-53
The Messiah would be the cornerstone.	Isaiah 28:16	1 Peter 2:4-6
The Messiah would heal the blind.	Isaiah 35:5	Mark 10:51-52
The Messiah would heal the deaf.	above	Mark 7:32-35
The Messiah would heal the lame.	Isaiah 35:6	Matthew 12:10-13
The Messiah would heal the dumb.	above	Matthew 9:32-33
The forerunner of the Messiah would live in the wilderness.	Isaiah 40:3	Matthew 3:1-4
The forerunner would prepare people for the coming of the Messiah.	above	Luke 1:17
The Messiah would be God.	above	John 10:30
The Messiah would be as a shepherd.	Isaiah 40:11	John 10:11
The Messiah would be God's servant.	Isaiah 42:1	John 4:34
The Messiah would have the Spirit of God upon him.	above	Matthew 3:16-17
The Messiah would please God.	above	Matthew 3:16-17
The Messiah would provide "justice" to the Gentiles.	above	Matthew 24:14
The Messiah would not draw attention to himself.	Isaiah 42:2	Matthew 12:15
The Messiah would have compassion for the poor and needy.	Isaiah 42:3	Matthew 11:4-5
The Messiah would receive guidance from God.	Isaiah 42:6	John 5:19-20
The Messiah would be ministered to by God.	above	John 8:29
The Messiah would be the new covenant.	above	Matthew 26:28
The Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles.	above	John 8:12
The Messiah would heal the blind.	Isaiah 42:7	Matthew 9:27-30
The Messiah would be from everlasting.	Isaiah 48:16	John 1:1-2
The Messiah would be sent from God.	above	John 7:29
The Messiah would come for all people.	Isaiah 49:1	1 Timothy 2:4-6
The Messiah would be called to God's service from the womb.	above	Matthew 1:20-21
The Messiah would be called by his name before he was born.	above	Luke 1:30-31
The Messiah's words would be as a sharp sword.	Isaiah 49:2	Revelation 2:12-16
The Messiah would be protected by God.	above	Matthew 2:13-15
The Messiah would be responsible for the judgment of mankind.	above	John 5:22-29
The Messiah would be God's servant.	Isaiah 49:3	John 17:4
The Messiah's work would glorify God.	above	Matthew 15:30-31
The Messiah would be distressed over the Jews unbelief.	Isaiah 49:4	Luke 19:41-42
The Messiah would be rejected by the Jews.	above	John 5:43
The Messiah would be God's servant.	Isaiah 49:5	John 6:38
The Messiah would come to bring Israel back to God.	above	Matthew 15:24
The Messiah would be God's servant.	Isaiah 49:6	John 12:49-50
The Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles.	above	Acts 13:47-48
The Messiah would be despised.	Isaiah 49:7	John 10:20
The Messiah would speak with knowledge given to him from God.	Isaiah 50:4	John 12:49
The Messiah would not be rebellious to God's will.	Isaiah 50:5	John 12:27
The Messiah's back would be whipped.	Isaiah 50:6	Matthew 27:26
The Messiah's face would be beaten and spit upon.	above	Matthew 26:67
The Messiah would steadfastly set his face toward his mission.	Isaiah 50:7	Luke 9:51-53
The Messiah would be justified by his righteousness.	Isaiah 50:8	1 Timothy 3:16
The Messiah would place his trust in God.	Isaiah 50:8-10	John 11:7-10
The Messiah would be God's servant.	Isaiah 52:13	John 9:4
The Messiah would be highly exalted.	above	Philippians 2:9-11
The Messiah's face would be disfigured from severe beatings.	Isaiah 52:14	Matthew 26:67-68
The Messiahs blood would be shed to make atonement for all.	Isaiah 52:15	Revelation 1:5
The Messiah's own people would not believe he was the Christ.	Isaiah 53:1	John 12:37-38
The Messiah would grow up in a poor family.	Isaiah 53:2	Luke 2:7
The Messiah would have the appearance of an ordinary man.	above	Philippians 2:7-8
The Messiah would be despised.	Isaiah 53:3	Luke 4:28-29
The Messiah would be rejected.	above	Matthew 27:21-23
The Messiah would have great sorrow and grief.	above	Luke 19:41-42
Men would hide from being associated with the Messiah.	above	Mark 14:50-52
The Messiah would have a healing ministry.	Isaiah 53:4	Luke 6:17-19
The Messiah would bear and carry upon himself the sins of the world.	above	1 Peter 2:24
The Messiah would be thought to be cursed by God.	above	Matthew 27:41-43
The Messiah would bear the penalty for mankind's transgressions.	Isaiah 53:5	Luke 23:33
The Messiah's sacrifice would provide peace between man and God.	above	Colossians 1:20
The Messiah's back would be whipped.	Isaiah 53:5	Matthew 27:26
The Messiah would be the sin-bearer for all mankind.	Isaiah 53:6	Galatians 1:4
It was God's will that the Messiah would be the sin-bearer for all mankind.	above	1 John 4:10
The Messiah would be oppressed and afflicted.	Isaiah 53:7	Matthew 27:27-31
The Messiah would be silent before his accusers.	above	Matthew 27:12-14
The Messiah would be as a sacrificial lamb.	above	John 1:29
The Messiah would be confined and persecuted.	Isaiah 53:8	Matthew 26:55
The Messiah would be judged.	above	John 18:13-22
The Messiah would be killed.	above	Matthew 27:35
The Messiah would die for the sins of the world.	above	1 John 2:2
The Messiah would be buried in a rich man's grave.	Isaiah 53:9	Matthew 27:57
The Messiah would be innocent and had done no violence.	above	Mark 15:3
The Messiah would have no deceit in his mouth.	above	John 18:38
It was God's will that the Messiah would die for all mankind.	Isaiah 53:10	John 18:11
The Messiah would be an offering for sin.	above	Matthew 20:28
The Messiah would be resurrected and live forever.	above	Mark 16:16
The Messiah would prosper.	above	John 17:1-5
God would be fully satisfied with the suffering of the Messiah.	Isaiah 53:11	John 12:27
The Messiah would be God's servant.	above	Romans 5:18-19
The Messiah would justify man before God.	above	Romans 5:8-9
The Messiah would be the sin-bearer for all mankind.	above	Hebrews 9:28
Because of his sacrifice, the Messiah would be greatly exalted by God.	Isaiah 53:12	Matthew 28:18
The Messiah would give up his life to save mankind.	above	Luke 23:46
The Messiah would be grouped with criminals.	above	Luke 23:32
The Messiah would be the sin-bearer for all mankind.	above	2 Corinthians 5:21
The Messiah would intercede to God in behalf of mankind.	above	Luke 23:34
The Messiah would be resurrected by God.	Isaiah 55:3	Acts 13:34
The Messiah would be a witness.	Isaiah 55:4	John 18:37
The Messiah would come to provide salvation.	Isaiah 59:15-16	John 6:40
The Messiah would be the intercessor between man and God.	above	Matthew 10:32-33
The Messiah would come to Zion as their Redeemer.	Isaiah 59:20	Luke 2:38
The Messiah would have the Spirit of God upon him.	Isaiah 61:1-2	Matthew 3:16-17
The Messiah would preach the good news.	above	Luke 4:17-21
The Messiah would provide freedom from the bondage of sin and death.	above	John 8:31-32
The Messiah would proclaim a period of grace.	above	John 5:24
Jeremiah
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Jeremiah 23:5-6"	Luke 3:23-31
The Messiah would be God.	above	John 13:13
The Messiah would be both man and God.	above	1 Timothy 3:16
The Messiah would be born of a virgin.	Jeremiah 31:22	Matthew 1:18-20
The Messiah would be the new covenant.	Jeremiah 31:31	Matthew 26:28
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Jeremiah 33:14-15	Luke 3:23-31
Ezekiel
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Ezekiel 17:22-24	Luke 3:31
The Messiah would be a descendant of David.	Ezekiel 34:23-24	Matthew 1:1
Daniel
The Messiah would ascend into heaven.	Daniel 7:13-14	Acts 1:9-11
The Messiah would be highly exalted.	above	Ephesians 1:20-22
The Messiah's dominion would be everlasting.	above	Luke 1:31-33
The Messiah would come to make an end to sins.	Daniel 9:24	Galations 1:3-5
The Messiah would be holy.	above	Luke 1:35
The Messiah enters Jerusalem 483 years, after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.	Daniel 9:25	John 12:12-13
The Messiah would be killed.	Daniel 9:26	Matthew 27:35
The Messiah would die for the sins of the world.	above	Hebrews 2:9
The Messiah would be killed before the destruction of the temple.	above	Matthew 27:50-51
A vision of the Messiah in a glorified state.	Daniel 10:5-6	Revelation 1:13-16
Hosea
The Messiah would defeat death.	Hosea 13:14	1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Joel
The Messiah would offer salvation to all mankind.	Joel 2:32	Romans 10:12-13
Micah
The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.	Micah 5:2	Matthew 2:1-2
The Messiah would be God's servant.	above	John 15:10
The Messiah would be from everlasting.	above	Revelation 1:8
Haggai
The Messiah would visit the second Temple.	Haggai 2:6-9	Luke 2:27
The Messiah would be a descendant of Zerubbabel.	Haggai 2:23	Luke 3:27
Zechariah
The Messiah would be God's servant.	Zechariah 3:8	John 17:4
The Messiah would be Priest and King.	Zechariah 6:12-13	Hebrews 8:1
The Messiah would be be greeted with rejoicing in Jerusalem.	Zechariah 9:9	Matthew 21:8-10
The Messiah would be beheld as King.	above	John 12:12-13
The Messiah would be just.	above	John 5:30
The Messiah would bring salvation.	above	Luke 19:10
The Messiah would be humble.	above	Matthew 11:29
The Messiah would be presented to Jerusalem riding on a donkey.	above	Matthew 21:6-9
The Messiah would be the cornerstone.	Zechariah 10:4	Ephesians 2:20
At the time of Messiah's coming, Israel would have unfit leaders.	Zechariah 11:4-6	Matthew 23:1-4
The Messiah's rejection would cause God to remove His protection of Israel.	above	Luke 19:41-44
The Messiah would be rejected in favor of another king.	above	John 19:13-15
The Messiah would have a ministry to the "poor," the believing remnant.	Zechariah 11:7	Matthew 9:35-36
The unbelief of Israel's leaders would force the Messiah to reject them.	Zechariah 11:8	Matthew 23:33
The Messiah would be despised.	above	Matthew 27:20
The Messiah would stop ministering to the those who rejected Him.	Zechariah 11:9	Matthew 13:10-11
The Messiah's rejection would cause God to remove His protection of Israel.	Zechariah 11:10-11	Luke 19:41-44
The Messiah would be God	above	John 14:7
The Messiah would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver.	Zechariah 11:12-13	Mathew 26:14-15
The Messiah would be rejected.	above	above
Thirty pieces of silver would be thrown into the house of the Lord.	above	Matthew 27:3-5
The Messiah would be God	above	John 12:45
The Messiah's body would be pierced.	Zechariah 12:10	John 19:34-37
The Messiah would be both God and man.	above	John 10:30
The Messiah would be rejected.	above	John 1:11
It was God's will that the Messiah would die for all mankind.	Zechariah 13:7	John 18:11
The Messiah would die a violent death.	above	Matthew 27:35
The Messiah would be both God and man	above	John 14:9
Israel would be scattered as a result of rejecting the Messiah	above	Matthew 26:31
Malachi
A messenger would prepare the way for the Messiah.	Malachi 3:1	Matthew 11:10
The Messiah would make a sudden appearance at the temple.	above	Mark 11:15-16
The Messiah would be the messenger of the new covenant.	above	Luke 4:43
The Messiah's forerunner would come in the spirit of Elijah.	Malachi 4:5	Matthew 3:1-2
The Messiah's forerunner would turn many to righteousness.	Malachi 4:6	Luke 1:16-17

River of LIfe

I am sitting here tonight, starting to get ready for my retreat! I am excited, I am nervous, but most of all I know that I am in His will.

Today, I finished up some of my "assignments" that were needed for the retreat, including a "River of Life" diagram. While the diagram looks easy; it's truly not easy at all. It's actually quite hard, because you have to be very introspective and for me that meant dredging up my past and seeing where God has brought me from and where He is taking me. 

It also means that I need to find a way to let go of the past and let God use my past to teach me new ways of living. The diagram actually left me feeling really good; and allowed me to deal with some hidden hurts and discouragements that I have had over the past few months. 

If you have never done a "River of Life" diagram, I whole-heartedly encourage you to do it! You won't be sorry. 

Should Christians Convert To Judaism...even if they don't deny Christ?

So a question came up today; as it has for the past two weeks for some odd reason. The question is "Can Christians follow Torah, and the New Testament and deny Christianity?" Then when you start talking to these people the question quickly turns to "Can a Gentile Christian become a Messianic Jew (A Jew who accepts Jesus as Messiah)? From there the question, comes up "What holidays do you follow and why?"y

So I am going to write tonight about "Should Christians convert to Messianic Judaism?" And my short answer is "NO!" Why? There is no precedent for such a conversion within the Bible. Matter of fact, Paul himself, taught against Judaizing Gentiles. A Judaizer taught that, in order for a Christian to truly be right with God, he must conform to the Mosaic Law. Circumcision, especially, was promoted as necessary for salvation. Gentiles had to become Jewish proselytes first, and then they could come to Christ. The doctrine of the Judaizers was a mixture of grace (through Christ) and works (through the keeping of the Law). This false doctrine was dealt with in Acts 15 and strongly condemned in the book of Galatians.

Let's look at Acts 15; in Acts 15, we see that Paul and Barnabas were meeting with the Jerusalem council. There were those who were teaching "Unless you are circumcised according t the custom of Moses you can't be saved." Paul and Barnabas both argued with these people and later we see in verses 8-10 "8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" You see their own father's couldn't work their way into Heaven. 

First Timothy 4:3 says that, in later times, false teachers will “forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.” The Judaizers upheld the Mosaic Law as necessary for salvation; viewing Christ’s death as being insufficient without the active and continued cooperation of the one being saved.

The Bible is clear that the attempt to add human works to God’s grace overlooks the very meaning of grace, which is “undeserved blessing.” As Paul says, “If by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6). Praise the Lord, “Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). 

So now, should a Gentile believer convert?  No. Even Ruth was recognized as a Moabite through out the book. As far as the "Ger' or the foreigner living among Israel; even when they were circumcised they were regarded as a Ger Tzedek (Righteous Alien).

Exodus 12:48 states 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 

Although the passage shows that Gentiles could choose to observe Jewish life they were still called Gerim (outsiders). There is nothing that can be added; because as Paul wrote in Galatians 2:21 states "21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."

Heartbroken...for anyone who doesn't know Jesus as Savior

For those that don't know me, I am a huge proponent of the country of Israel and I stand with Israel every chance I get! However, I don't celebrate Judaism. I love the Jewish people and want nothing more than for them to come to a saving knowledge of who Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach) is. 
So today when my friend asked if there was anyone celebrating Hanukkah in Finland and that maybe he could join, I said "Just come to the US and join me for Hanukkah and Christmas." Now before my Messianic friends cringe from my insensitive comment, my friend is a former Christian who converted to Messianic Judaism. This confuses me and causes a lot of strife for me, but I always meet it with grace and mercy. I don't know his reasons for converting; because 1) it's not necessary and 2) most of the people I know who "Convert" do so and become very close-minded towards their christian brethren. 

I love John 14:1  “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." I also love John 5:46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me." but before all of that, Jesus tells a group "you search the scriptures, because you think in them you have eternal life and it is they that bear witness about me." Now here the word scriptures is the Old Testament. We call it the Old Testament, or Old Covenant, because we believe that the Jewish Messiah has come—namely, Jesus—and by his death and resurrection has inaugurated a New Testament, that is, a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:13; 12:24; 13:20). So the writings that Jesus authorized through his apostles are included in our Bibles because they summarize the completion of what was promised in the Old Covenant, namely, the New Covenant. The most decisive thing about this New Covenant is that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, died for sinners so that both Jews and Gentiles who trust him would become the heirs of the Old Testament promises. Jesus taught this when he said, “I tell you, many will come from east and west [meaning Gentiles] and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11–12). In other words, Gentiles who believe in Jesus the Messiah are included in the blessing of Abraham. And Jews who don’t believe in Jesus are excluded from the blessings of Abraham.

Now maybe this sounds really close-minded; and if you know me, Rachel, this sounds a lot UNLIKE the person who loves the Jews; right? Wrong. You see I love the Jewish people which is why I want desperately for them to come to faith in Messiah. 

In other words, any Jew or any Gentile will be an heir of Abraham’s blessing if he believes in Jesus, the Messiah. So Paul says, “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. . . . If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:7, 29).

This means that the way the Old Testament gets people ready to know Jesus is not merely by specific prophecies that have specific fulfillments in Jesus (like being born in Bethlehem), but far more profoundly, the point is: If you meet God, and know God, and admire God, and trust God, and are shaped by God as he truly reveals himself and his ways in the whole of the Old Testament, then when Jesus comes, you will know him. You will have already known him. He will have so shaped your mind and heart that when he comes in the flesh, there will be no discord, no dissonance, no contradiction between the God you know from the Old Testament and the appearance of God in Jesus. John 12:37–41 is an amazing window onto how Jesus viewed the Jewish Scriptures.

Then from chapter 13 to the end of the book, John pours it on to show that almost every detail of Jesus’ redeeming work was planned by God and witnessed in Scripture.

• “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me’” (John 13:18=Psalm 41:9).
• “They hated me without a cause” (John 15:25=Psalm 35:19).
• “Not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12=Psalm 109:8).
• “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (John 19:24=Psalm 22:18).
• “Jesus said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst’” (John 19:28=Psalm 69:21).
• “Not one of his bones will be broken” (John 19:36=Psalm 34:20).
• “Another Scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced’” (John 19:37=Zechariah 12:10).
• “As yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (John 20:9=Psalm 16:10).

And besides all these explicit quotes from Scripture, John’s Gospel is strewn with indirect allusions to Scripture. So we have indirect allusions, direct quotes to show specific fulfillments, and we have statements, like in chapter 12, that show the whole Old Testament revelation of God is a revelation of Jesus. If we know God as he really is in the Old Testament, we know Jesus.

But honestly, knowing God isn't enough to be saved, merely knowing about Jesus doesn't save you. My friend's Jewish friend attacks me constantly when I mention being a Christian. My friend isn't bold in telling people he's a Believer in Messiah, he'd rather "gain trust" and possibly lose a friend, whereas I would rather just boldly proclaim Jesus; show the OT prophecies that point to Messiah and let that person know that I am praying for them. 

It has become a hard road to become a minister, and no longer just saying "yeah, you can believe whatever you want and God will eventually find you. No friends the time is now. I can only encourage you to not delay in coming to Messiah. 

What's so Amazing about Grace?

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound!

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind but now I see.

Wherever the words are sung, or the tune played to this old hymn, everyone sings because everyone knows this song. It is the most sung Christian hymn in the world. We sing the words and hear the tune, but do we ever stop to think about the meaning? 

What is the idea behind this amazing grace that we sing about?

To capture a deeper understanding of this amazing grace we sing about, we have to go to what has been called the magna carta of God’s grace, Ephesians 2:1-10. In this passage of Scripture, the Apostle Paul reminds the Ephesians of the great work God has done in their lives. Listen to what Paul has to say to the church at Ephesus. 

Ephesians 2:1-10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Paul’s words tell us that grace is the centerpiece of God’s salvation. There are five words that are key to understanding the Christian gospel. They are grace, truth, faith, love, and hope. Paul says that grace is the key ingredient. God’s salvation for us begins in grace. Everything else in the gospel flows from and builds upon our understanding of grace.

So what is grace? Webster defines grace with such words as “unmerited divine assistance, approval, favor, mercy, pardon, and privilege.” Those are all nice words, but it doesn’t quite ring the same when we say “we are saved by God’s divine assistance,” and it leaves something left unsaid, because if we are saved simply by God’s assistance, that communicates that we help God in the saving act, but that is exactly what Paul says isn’t the case. He says that God is the actor—it is all God. Grace as Paul shares the concept means the completely undeserved, loving commitment of God to us. For some unknown reason that is rooted in the nature of who God is, God gives himself to us, attaches himself to us, and acts to rescue us. Because of His mercy and love, God saves us, and that saving is a result of God’s grace. Paul is clear—wrath should have come, but grace comes instead.

            Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon’s orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker’s church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. "I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead." The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker’s study. It was Charles Spurgeon. “You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.” Grace is so amazing, and sounds so sweet because with God’s grace we don’t get what we deserve. We get what we need—God’s salvation.

Not only is grace undeserved; but it is also amazing and sweet is because of –its cost. Grace is a gift from God that we can’t pay for. The Greek word for this kind of gift is “doron”; it’s the kind of gift that was offered as an expression of honor, and in Scripture this word is used when someone offers a gift or sacrifice to God and was also used the gifts people put into the temple treasury. Paul says that God’s grace is God’s “doron”, his gift to us. God is honoring us with his grace. Even when we are disobedient, when we fall short of loving as we should; God still bestows His grace upon us anyway!

If we look at verse 9, Paul is telling us expressly that grace is a gift; We haven’t earned it. As a matter of fact we can’t earn it. When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award--yet receives such a gift anyway--that is a good picture of God’s special favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.

            

We often take gifts for granted; and we do this with God’s grace also. How we treat a gift is dependent, largely on two variables: 1) the value of the gift received, and 2) our relationship to the giver. If the gift is very valuable, we tend to cherish it more, to put it up on the mantle, or in a safe place because we don’t want the gift to get broken or lost. Parents know that when your children have created artistic masterpieces in Sunday school, or for some school project, and they present them to you on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, that those gifts may have little value in terms of the actual gift itself, after all, it is just a colored paper, or some rocks glued to a piece of glass. But that gift has a depth of meaning because of the time and love involved in making it, and the relationship we have to the little one who created it. So the gift goes in a special place. One of my favorite necklaces that I own was made for me by a student. It’s made of glass beads and fishing line. But it serves to remind me of my time as an educator and the difference I made in that child’s life. 

            

But what do we do with God’s gift of grace? Do we cherish it? Or do we take it for granted that it will be there and never offer our thanks to God? Or do we see God’s grace as cheap grace; and therefore have a do-nothing religion? Like the church in Rome, “They liked to sin, God liked to forgiving them and everyone was happy, right? Paul told the roman Christians, “may it never be!”  Paul would tell the Corinthian Christians that it was grace that put him to work (1 Cor. 15:10). When our hearts are touched by grace, we move out in service in gratitude for the wonderful gift. Service is the way we cherish the gift of God in Jesus Christ.

           

That brings me to the third reason that grace is so amazing and sounds so sweet—grace works in our lives to transform us from what we are to what Christ calls us to be.

            

As you all know I am going through the Candidacy process in the UMC and one of the meetings I had to have was with our District Superintendent, during our meeting, I was asked “Rachel, of all the things that you learned in church growing up and even at Liberty University, what makes our beliefs about grace different?” My answer to that question was “Grace isn’t a onetime event or a onetime offering on God’s part. We speak about being saved, or we make the statements “I got saved on…” or “When I was saved…,” but salvation didn’t start, nor did it end when we said “yes” to God’s saving grace. We must think of grace as a journey that continues throughout our lives.” Or as a teacher I worked with used to say “Grace isn’t a prayer before a meal, it is a way of life.”

            

I suspect that John Newton knew the sweet sound of amazing grace in a mighty way, else how could he have penned such enduring words? They are autobiographical words, you see John Newton, felt like a wretch, he was born into a respectable family with an early Christian upbringing, but by the time he was 11 he was sailing the high seas with his father and by 17 he had laid aside every religious principle and abandoned himself to the service of the devil. He became a deserter, and was arrested as a common felon and at various times in his life he contemplated suicide. He began service among the slave traders of Sierra Leone, and the shame of his actions drove him to “hide myself in the woods from the site of strangers,” and he believed that “my conduct, principles and heart were still darker than my outward condition.”

            

Then on March 10, 1748, during a violent storm on a slaver to England, a storm as violent as the night’s, broke across his soul. That date became Newton’s spiritual birthday. Newton would write, “I cried to the Lord with a cry like that of the ravens which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear. And I remembered Jesus whom I had so often derided.”

            

Sixteen years later, Newton was ordained a priest in the Church of England at Olney, England. It was there, in collaboration with the great hymn writer William Cowper, that they published a hymnal they called Olney Hymns. Number forty-one, of Book I, contained these words:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound!

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind but now I see.

            

Newton, writing his own epitaph before his death on December 21, 1807, at the age of eighty-two, reveals how far God’s amazing grace had brought him:

JOHN NEWTON, Clerk

Once an infidel and libertine; A servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Gospel which he had long labored to destroy. He ministered, near sixteen years in Olney, and twenty-eight years in this Church.

           

Grace never stops working; for the grace of God finds us (we call that prevenient grace), and that same grace reconciles us (we call that justifying grace), and that same grace transforms us (we call that sanctifying grace), and in the words of John Newton, it is that “grace will lead me home”.

Answered Prayer

It is starting to feel more and more real; this calling that God has on my life to minister. I wish I could say that I am not a crazy girl of nerves, but I am. Tonight, I was assigned my mentor. This entire time I have been really nervous about declaring "Licensed Local Pastor" as my chosen route to ministry. I have found myself met with people who don't understand what it means to serve such an amazing God. I kept thinking "God, I know I am going to be assigned a male mentor and he's not going to see the uniqueness of my call, and definitely isn't going to understand the challenges that are being thrown at me...Evidently God heard my hearts cry because I was assigned a female minister as my mentor! Prayer answered in a mighty way!

The Apostle's Creed

This morning I woke up to several people having an argument about whether or not Christians should recite the apostle's creed. Several times I read people stating "I don't recite it because it's not Biblical." Well let me just say this, if you don't believe the tenants of the Apostle's Creed, then you can't rightly call yourself a Christian. For one woman, I finally had to go declaration by declaration and give her scriptures to show her that while the creed itself isn't in the Bible, the beliefs that it declares is scripture based. 
I like what Dr. Ray Rooney stated about the Creed "The Apostles’ Creed doesn’t solve all the world problems, nor does it solve all the problems in the church,” Rooney said. “But it is a great table for Christians to gather round and have room for discussion. You don’t have to believe everything I do. But we have in the Creed a 2,000-year-old answer to ‘What do Christians believe?’ We can rejoice and fellowship together around these truths while still holding tightly to the other convictions we also hold dear.”


If you have never read the Apostle's Creed, I will post it here: 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,
 
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.
Amen.


*catholic here means universal

• I Believe in God. Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”; Isaiah 45:5, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:”
• I Believe In The Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” ; John 1:3, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” ; Acts 14:15, “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:”
• I Believe in Jesus Christ. Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” ; John 20:28, “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”
• I Believe that Jesus is His only Son. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ; Proverbs 30:4, “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?”
• I Believe Jesus is Our Lord. John 20:28, “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”
• I Believe in Jesus Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
• I Believe Jesus Who Was Born of the Virgin Mary. Luke 1:27, “To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”
• I Believe Jesus Suffered Under Pontius Pilate. Luke 23:24, “And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.”
• I Believe Jesus Was Crucified. John 19:20, “This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.” ; Acts 4:10, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”
• I Believe Jesus Was Dead. 1st Corinthians 15:3, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
• I Believe Jesus Was Buried. 1st Corinthians 15:4, “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
• I Believe that Jesus on The third day He arose from the dead. 1st Corinthians 15:4, “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
• I Believe Jesus Ascended into Heaven. Mark 16:19, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” ; Luke 24:51, “And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” ; Acts 1:11, “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
• I Believe Jesus Is Seated at the Right Hand of God, the Father Almighty. Mark 16:19, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”; Hebrews 1:3, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
• I Believe Jesus From Thence He Shall Come to Judge the Quick and the Dead. 2nd Timothy 4:1, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;” ; John 5:22, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:”
• I Believe in The Holy Spirit., John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” ; John 16:7-8, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” ; John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
• I Believe in The Church Universal. Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• I Believe in the Communion of Saints. Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” ; Acts 2:44, “And all that believed were together, and had all things in common.”
• I Believe in The Forgiveness of Sins. Luke 7:48, “And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”
• I Believe in The Resurrection of the Body. 1st Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” ; Romans 8:23, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” ; 1st Corinthians 15:52-54, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
• I Believe in Life Everlasting. John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” ; John 17:2, “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”